Principally Speaking...

Exciting Small Steps for Monomoy Regional High School

2012-01-14T08:54:00.004-05:00

The slow process of creating the new regional school district is moving forward. Curriculum task forces comprised of teachers from both Harwich and Chatham have been established and have been involved since December working on merging curricula for the new district. We have just learned that the Provincetown School Committee is interested in either tuitioning its students to Monomoy or becoming a member of the new region. We have recently petitioned the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) for their approval to combine Harwich and Chatham athletic teams under the banner of Monomoy beginning next year since the new district becomes fully operational on July 1, 2012. We expect to receive a favorable response by mid-week and surely this will be the subject of a post in the near future. This past Thursday evening the Monomoy School Building Committee heard a presentation from the newly selected Owner's Project Manager, Skanska Corporation, in which they outlined their role in the planning and construction of the new building. During their presentation they discussed an extremely aggressive timeline which hopefully will result in breaking ground this fall and opening the new school in September of 2014. They also explained that the planning process would include multiple opportunities for all of the important constituencies to be involved and provide input into the design process. Within the next few weeks it is expected that we will have an architectural firm on board and we will finally know which of the model schools will be available to Monomoy for our new building. These are indeed exciting times!

So progress is being made every day, however the most exciting development occurred just yesterday. Faculty from both districts came together in a joint in-service day at Harwich High School. There was a session for all in the morning on the use of technology and social media and people socialized over lunch. In the afternoon, the high school faculties came together to begin working on identifying core values and beliefs for what will become our new school. In essence, this was an interactive workshop to create a vision for Monomoy Regional High School. Harwich principal Kevin Turner and I planned and facilitated an afternoon that engaged a room full of professionals in an exciting exercise that was not only productive and exciting but lots of fun as well. There was an inspirational video presentation entitled Passion and Persistence and a number of questions to stimulate their thinking and provide information for the culminating activity. Instructional leaders at each table masterfully guided the discussions and built consensus around key concepts and ideas. But the best was saved for last. Each group was charged with producing a 60 second evening news type video clip describing Monomoy Regional based on the vision of the school that had emerged from their discussions. I have never seen teachers so happily engaged during an in-service activity but, more importantly, what they all produced was absolutely incredible. There were clips modeled on news interviews, a parody of Father Guido Sarducci's Five Minute University, a song about the new school to the tune of Take Me Out to The Ball Game, and an amazing rap song complete with hoodies, sideways baseball caps and low-slung jeans. There was much laughter and fun, lots of great collaboration, and best of all, a stack of mini-essays that they all wrote as their ticket to leave describing their ideal school. I don't think I have ever experienced a professional development in-service day as positive and as powerful as what we all experienced yesterday.

I might also add that the sight of many of the Chatham faculty arriving at yesterday's in-service wearing their new Monomoy sweatshirts sent a strong message to all that, as much as we love our school and will continue to be Chatham High School for the immediate future, we are also just as committed to moving forward and being part of the exciting new school called Monomoy.

Thank you to all who participated yesterday and made it such a successful, positive, and productive day.

Principally Speaking is Back....

2012-01-07T08:45:00.006-05:00

After a six month hiatus, in part due to a much busier schedule and also the need to clear my head, Principally Speaking is back!

What I have discovered over the past few months is that I find it difficult to write on a regular basis, not because of a lack of topics or issues, but because I often seem overwhelmed with stuff about which I want to write. I think what I need to do is narrow my focus and so for the immediate future I will be concentrating on issues relating to regionalization, sharing my thoughts and opinions in an effort to assist in the process of merging our two fine schools in a positive fashion. We currently have so much going on from curriculum committee work to the tireless efforts of the building committee. And most excitingly, there is progress being made and that is what needs to be shared with the public. Of course, if other issues arise, you can be sure I will write about them as well.

So what has really brought me back to my blog is an interesting article (actually a chapter from Stephen Covey's book The Eighth Habit) I recently read entitled Blending Voices - Searching for the Third Alternative in which the author suggests that in situations such as the one we face with regionalization, too much energy is wasted arguing about which of the two competing interests would be best for the new school we are creating. What we ought to be doing is searching for that third alternative, one that is ultimately better than either or even a combination of the two. He states, "The Third Alternative isn't my way, it isn't your way - it's our way. It's not a compromise halfway between your way and my way; it's better than a compromise. A third alternative is...a higher middle position that is better than either of the other two ways....." The operative word here is better. What we should be striving for in every situation that arises through the regionalization process is how we can create the best school possible to maximize opportunities for our students.

The concept of a third alternative could not come at a more opportune time. One of the major decisions which will have to be made soon is what type of schedule will Monomoy Regional High School use. It is timely because so many other curriculum and instruction decisions might possibly hinge on the type of schedule that is selected. Until now the focus has been on the schedules currently in place in the two schools. Chatham employs a fixed 4 X 4 long block schedule and Harwich operates on a hybrid schedule with a rotating long block. Both schedules have advantages and disadvantages but serve their respective schools very well. Both schedules have advocates for their adoption for the new school. However, if we approach the schedule decision with Covey's Third Alternative in mind hopefully we will be looking for the schedule which will best serve the interests of our students in the new school, one that is neither theirs nor ours, but something entirely new and better than what we both have now.

Without consciously thinking about it, we employed Covey's philosophy a last month when a decision was made concerning which student management system (SMS) the new school district would adopt. Currently, each district uses an SMS that has proven effective at running its schools, managing everything from student records, scheduling, attendance, and finances. We like ours and they like theirs. Seemingly, a decision was not going to come easily. Deb Morgan, the combined district Director of Technology, did some research on the best SMS programs available and then set up a day of vendor presentations for involved parties in both schools. Interestingly, one of the three choices was the system currently used by Chatham. After the presentations everyone was asked for their feedback and, ultimately a choice was made. The result was a third alternative because it was clearly the best choice and it was recently approved by the Monomoy Regional School Committee. So those who use the student management system every day will have some work to do learning an entirely new system and we all know that change is not easy or comfortable. But we will do what is necessary because we believe that this third alternative is a big improvement over what we both now use and it is exciting to think that we will be implementing this new system in our new school.

As we go forward there will be many situations where we will be faced with a decision to be made between my way or your way for the new Monomoy Regional High School. I would respectfully suggest that our mantra should be Let's search for the Third Alternative. Let's focus on what will be the best for teaching and learning at Monomoy Regional High School. Our students, faculty, and parents deserve nothing less.

Winding Down and Looking Forward....

2011-06-11T09:12:00.002-04:00

Graduation has come and gone and what a wonderful event it was. Full of laughter, music, memories, and some tears, it was a truly special evening. In eleven years of Chatham graduations, I have never failed to be impressed by the genuine pride and emotion displayed by everyone involved. And every year the senior slide show is such a fitting way to put an exclamation point on the whole ceremony. This year's graduates, rising stars all, are on their way and I wish them all the best. They will make us all proud with their accomplishments.

Following closely on the heels of graduation, we held our fourteenth annual Evening of Excellence last Wednesday where we honored over half of the remaining students in grades 9-11 for their academic achievement throughout the school year. Another special night was capped by the awarding of our Blue and White award to one individual in each of grade. Selected by the faculty for outstanding achievement, Liam Phelan, Sydney Whitcomb, and Christie Macomber all received a citation from the Massachusetts House of Representatives courtesy of Representative Sarah Peake and a $50 dollar gift card to Barnes and Noble.

And now we face our final full week of classes and the examinations which will assess student progress early the following week. The students were all given copies of their schedules for next year and will have this coming week to resolve any conflicts or gaps that may exist in their schedules so we will be able to start the new school year off smoothly in September. I am usually not one to boast, but this may well be the best master schedule I have ever built. Often described as trying to solve a Rubiks Cube, building a master schedule, especially in a small school, can often be an exercise in frustration. However, this year for some reason all of the pieces seemed to fall into place. Almost every student got the courses they needed with very few serious conflicts. We also have a nice array of elective offerings and it is exciting to see increased student interest in our new engineering and applied technology courses as well as some of our academic electives as well.

So even though we are wrapping up another successful school year and getting ready for a restful summer break, we are already looking forward to the coming year when we will be admittedly a bit smaller due to some out-migration but just as committed to providing the best educational challenges and opportunities for all of our students. We will be rolling out year two of our laptop computer program for the incoming freshmen class, instituting a new energized advisory program along with a weekly activity period for academic enrichment and remediation for all students, and offering a new Advanced Placement course in Biology for enthusiastic sophomores. Next year will also mark the beginning of our collaborative work with our colleagues in Harwich to begin creating the new curriculum for Monomoy Regional High School and I am sure that there will be a lot of excitement generated when ground is broken sometime next spring for the beautiful new building. It will definitely be a very busy year but there is so much to be excited about as we look forward to the immediate future.

So there is plenty of time for all of the planning and excitement next fall. Now is the time to sit back, relax, and reflect on the past year and all that has been accomplished. Summer is a time for reflection, but more importantly recharging. I hope that everyone, students, staff, and parents do just that. Enjoy the summer months, recharge your batteries, and come back to school in the fall ready to tackle another great year.

Have a safe and restful summer!

Drug Free Means Just That....

2011-05-14T10:12:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was a tough day. Working with the Chatham Police Department and the Barnstable County Sheriff's Department we conducted a sweep of the school parking lot with the BCSD's drug K-9 Morgan. Now, we have done this before and have also had the drug dog in our building many times over the past decade and in almost every instance, our search has come up empty. I am never disappointed when that happens. Unfortunately, yesterday was a bit different. The dog, whose training and sense of smell is truly phenomenal, indicated on several vehicles and, since that indication serves as probable cause, those vehicles were searched in the presence of the students to whom they belong. The search of three of the vehicles turned up nothing physical, however the dog's response indicates that at some point recently there had been some type of narcotic activity in each of those vehicles. Either someone, not necessarily the driver, had smoked marijuana or might have had some form of narcotic on their person while in the vehicle. The dog is that good! Those three students got a rather startling wake-up call and hopefully, after my conversation with the parents of each student that morning, some meaningful discussions ensued at home that evening. Unfortunately, one of the vehicles the dog indicated on did have both marijuana and paraphernalia in the vehicle. Even though a recent ballot vote resulted in decriminalizing this type of possession, this is still a clear violation of our school rules and has resulted in serious disciplinary consequences for that student.

I must say that I am disappointed in the results of yesterday's effort but not really surprised. I would have been very happy to have had the sweep turn up empty. That, unfortunately, is a rather naive expectation. I believe that there has been an increase in the use of marijuana among students and a rather cavalier attitude regarding its possession, in part, I believe, due to the change in the law. But it is important to point out, once again that the school rules have not changed and we will continue to do whatever is necessary to keep our school drug free.

Predictably, student reaction to yesterday morning's events were mixed. Some students thought it unfair that we would employ a police K-9 to check student vehicles for narcotics especially on a Friday when "students were more likely to have drugs in their cars." Others were clearly angry saying that the school has no right to conduct such a search and that we violated students' rights. I think those students must have missed that paragraph in our handbook where we clearly state on page 24 that, "All vehicles parked on school property are subject to K-9 serches for illegal substances." However, more encouraging were the reactions that suggested that students were "stupid" for bringing drugs onto campus and those that suggested that the search was a good thing because they want to come to a school that is free of illegal substances.

Well, students have been warned. We will continue to collaborate with the CPD and the BCSD to conduct searches both inside and outside our building according to the law. We will continue to hold students accountable and do whatever is necessary to keep our school safe and drug free. From what I have heard from faculty, parents, and community members, this is the right thing to do to protect our kids. Some may disagree. Either way I would like to hear from you.

Figures Lie and Liars Figure, Part Two....

2011-04-21T08:04:00.003-04:00

Here we go again! The author of a recent guest editorial in the Cape Cod Chronicle presented an argument against the proposed 8-12 grade configuration being considered for the new Momomoy Regional High School. The argument seemed logical and the author cited research to support his claim that to put eighth graders with high school students would be unsound, in part, based on a research study conducted in Maine "several years ago" that found that eighth grade students housed in schools other than a K-8 configuration performed less well on standardized tests. Interesting information but, once again, its only part of the story and based on that alone one could draw an incorrect conclusion.

Here is some additional information from this specific study that the author neglected to share. It was conducted more than "several years ago", in fact, it is almost two decades old. It was published in the summer of 1992 before the onset of state mandated high stakes testing and increased accountability, the emergence of the focus on school culture, and a host of other educational reforms. Secondly, the authors merely stated that eighth grade students in a K-8 environment seemed to do better than students in other grade configurations without making any assertions of superiority of one model over the other. The study implied that the question of why Maine eighth graders in schools with elementary spans outperformed other eighth graders remains unanswered and that their findings actually "call into question any simplistic assertion regarding the superiority of (nominally) middle-level schools." Thus, the research the author cites actually seems to refute the critical importance of the typical 5-8 middle school grade configuration which was such an important part of his argument. Furthermore, another study entitled Grade Configuration: Who Goes Where? (Paglin and Fager, 1997) concluded that every grade configuration has its own strengths and weaknesses relative to the context which the grade span occurs and that "no particular sequence of grade spans is perfect or in itself guarantees student achievement and social adjustment." The key, they suggested, is to focus on developing the positive potential within any given grade configuration.

Research and passionate arguments aside, here's the bottom line from someone who has spent the last forty years working in a 9-12 high school environment - grade configuration is not nearly as significant as many would have you believe. Much more important is what you do in any school with curriculum, student support services, and co-curricular activities to meet the needs of all students. Here's my two cents worth, and it is not based on twenty year old research. First, let's be totally transparent. The consideration of the 8-12 grade configuration for MRHS is being driven by the numbers. The magic number of 700+ students will enable the model school to be constructed in expeditious fashion with close to 50% state reimbursement to the towns. That in itself is not a bad thing because even though it may seem that the decision is not focused on kids and their needs, it really is. The decision will lead to the building of a state-of-the art, environmentally sound school which will expand learning opportunities for all students. It seems the right thing to do for so many reasons and it will be good for all students.

Simply stated, putting eighth graders in a high school environment will not result in dire academic, social, or emotional consequences. Actually it has been done in a number of school districts across the nation. In fact, the town of Shrewsbury did it back in the mid-eighties with good results. While recently most school districts such as Barnstable and Dennis-Yarmouth are being forced by declining enrollments to reconfigure their schools by incorporating eighth graders in their high schools, some have done it as a matter of choice. Hudson combined their eighth grade students in their high school over a decade ago as a result of a conscious decision to improve learning for their students. It has worked so well that even though the town is currently constructing a new middle school, the eighth graders will not be part of that school. They will remain at the high school where they are, for the most part, fully integrated in that school environment.

The 8-12 configuration works well for students in Hudson and I believe it will work well at Monomoy Regional High School. Eighth graders would be fully integrated in all co-curricular activities such as the arts, clubs, and in interscholastic sports where they would enable robust junior varsity, and possibly, freshmen teams with a 'no cut" policy. A modified teaming approach in the core curricular areas would provide the comfort, stability, and individual attention students at that age need but other curricular areas would be open to eighth graders allowing for accelerated learning in subjects such as math, foreign languages, and science. Having eighth graders in the building would also allow teachers to begin implementing a pre-advanced placement curriculum to lay a solid foundation for students who plan to challenge themselves with A P courses later in their high school career. Socially, the eighth graders would be semi-isolated in that they would not be allowed to attend high school dances and other major social events, however dances, class trips, and other special events specifically scheduled for them would allow eighth graders to bond with each other, develop their own identifies, and grow socially and emotionally at their own pace. They would also have their own guidance counselor who would focus entirely on their concerns and help ease the transition to the rigor of a high school curriculum. These are but just a few of the exciting possibilities afforded by developing a grade 8-12 high school.

So, don't be swayed by emotional claims and outdated or misstated research. Check out what is happening in Hudson High School right now and think about what this exciting model could do for our kids in the new Monomoy Regional High School.

The Power of Rainbows....

2011-03-19T07:54:00.009-04:00

As I left my office and walked down the hallway the other day I was struck by a very familiar sound literally bursting out of one of the English classrooms. It was a loud, almost brash voice filled with enthusiasm and what was being said was punctuated by raucous laughter. Rather than being unsettling, it was surprisingly comforting...Lisa Doyle was back! Back where she belongs among adoring students, energizing them and filling them with appreciation for literature and poetry, symbolism and simile, and the difference between a comma and a semicolon. For the last six and one half months Nancy von der Heyde has done an exceptional job filling some incredibly big shoes. She worked tirelessly to implement the curriculum and push her students to excel, knowing all along that some parents and students were less than thrilled she was in the classroom rather than Mrs. Doyle. Yet, she persevered and we all owe her an immense debt of gratitude. So now Mrs. Doyle is back, thankfully healthy and ready to finish out the year. We had a brief ceremony at lunch on Thursday to thank Ms. von der Heyde and welcome Mrs. Doyle back and, of course there was cake, a few moving student speeches, and lots of cheering and applause. Seemingly, all is right in our little CHS world! Pinned to my office bulletin board I have a photograph of the rainbow that magically appeared at a soccer game last fall on the day the school honored Mrs. Doyle. It depicts Mrs. Doyle standing triumphant, arms raised as if in defiance or in victory. From this day forward my view of rainbows has been forever altered. For the rest of my life every rainbow I experience will remind me of how fortunate we all are and that miracles do indeed occur. Welcome back, Lisa!

As if that excitement were not enough, we have a wonderful, new district web page! Months in the making, it was launched last week and, while it clearly is a work in progress, it is a tremendous improvement over what we have had for more than the last decade. Powered by Finalsite and the result of a significant amount of work on the part of our District Technology Director Deb Morgan, the new site is bright, colorful, and very polished. It is both artistic and functional, displaying lots of photographs of students engaged in learning on a number of levels as well as updated school news. It is also highly interactive and over the next several months plans include populating the site with a number of opportunities for students and parents to access and download forms and other information in a convenient manner. So if you get a chance, check it out at www.chatham.k12.ma.us and give us your honest feedback. Is there something that is missing or is there a link that might make your school experience easier or better. Please let us know because we are sincere in our aim to make this page your "go to" site for everything you need or want to know about the Chatham Public Schools.

So Spring arrives tomorrow and things are looking up at Chatham High School. It is hard not to be optimistic. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know how you feel.

Figures Lie and Liars Figure....

2011-03-05T10:31:00.003-05:00

A week ago the Cape Cod Times published an article about the apparent success of vocational schools in maintaining high graduation rates which is excellent news. The article based its argument on the data provided by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and generally did a pretty good job of explaining a complicated calculation process that is used to derive an annual percentage. The problem is that the paper did what it usually does with education data. It created a chart ranking all of the area high schools so everyone could make comparisons. That in itself is fine, however in order to be useful, data has to be accurate and it really should be presented in context. First the accuracy. I cannot speak for the other schools, but with regard to Chatham's data, they used the district's figures, not those ascribed solely to the high school. The actual graduation rate for Chatham High School is actually 81.4, not 79.5, not a big difference, but it suggests a general sloppiness in dealing with data which raises questions. Secondly, and more important, the chart they created only lists the graduation rate for 2009 and 2010 for comparison purposes when it would have been far more helpful to identify where all of the students in the four year cohort who did not receive a diploma ended up. In our case, three students from the cohort are still in school in a post-grad vocational program (in fact, two have just received their diploma), two left school and acquired a Graduate Equivalency Diploma (GED), and three did, in fact, drop out. All of this information is readily available on the DESE website and would have presented a much clearer picture of just what the data really means. Furthermore, had they dug a bit deeper, they would have discovered that the DESE clearly understands that, for some students, an extra year is necessary to successfully earn a diploma which is why they also provide data based on a five year graduation rate. In that scenario, our graduation rate climbs to 87.9 or 91.7 if one looks at the adjusted cohort rate. As it was presented, the article with its comparison chart seems to suggest that those who were not included in the graduation rate statistic were drop outs which clearly reflects negatively on a school that has a figure that is less than 100%.

I write not to justify our graduation rate. We know we can and should do a better job ensuring that students stay in school. We certainly try to do that using various intervention strategies, counseling, and flexible scheduling, and, when students ultimately decide they want to leave, we do as much as we can to ensure that they enroll in a GED program. There are, however, two realities with which we deal on a daily basis at CHS. Most schools today are dealing with an increasingly transient school population and often CHS is seen as a small, personalized school where a disaffected student from another district might finally meet with success. That is often the case in seventy to eighty percent of students we admit from other schools and districts. However, we also admit students for whom no school is going to be the panacea to help turn things around. They come with their parents' high hopes and within a few months realize that while we are small and personalized, we also have high expectations for all studentsand hold them accountable. Often that pressure is what turns out to be the tipping point and, unfortunately, another student becomes a drop out.

Perhaps the next article that appears in the Cape Cod Times will not only present the correct data but will do so in an appropriate context so that the public can draw correct assumptions about the performance of area schools. In the meantime, we will continue to do the best we can to meet the needs of all of our students and help them accomplish the goal of earning a Chatham High School diploma.

A Chatham High School Showcase...

2011-01-22T09:58:00.004-05:00

We have spent a considerable amount of time lately thinking and talking about what we need to do to spread the word concerning what Chatham High School has to offer, especially in light of last year's departure of a rather significant portion of our incoming freshman class from our middle school. We fully understand and appreciate what school choice is all about but we want to make certain that any decisions parents make regarding sending their children to another school district is made only after considering all of the available information. To that end, we want to get all of the relevant information about our excellent school out in the open so that everyone can make an appropriate decision. In the past we have worked hard to get information out to the media and share news via newsletters, but we now want to do something a bit more dramatic and interactive.

Here's what we are thinking about: we are planning to hold a CHS Showcase sometime in early spring for parents of 7th and 8th graders in our district and for prospective school choice parents and students. The plan would entail showcasing many of the positive educational and co-curricular opportunities that are available to students at our school through a series of concurrent presentations by teachers and students throughout the evening which would give parents and their kids an opportunity to find out about programs that might interest them.

Our thinking is that we would begin the evening with a nice dinner and parents would be encouraged to bring their kids along. We would have some welcoming remarks and perhaps some accompanying music by our excellent jazz band while folks enjoyed their meal. Following dinner parents and students would be directed to a series of half hour presentations all over the school where students and teachers would not only speak about programs, curriculum, and opportunities but would demonstrate them as well. We envision presentations on teaching mathematics using the Promethean Board, STEM education and our new engineering lab, Advanced Placement opportunities at CHS, Forensics, Art demonstrations, the performing arts, We The People, the Community Internship program, and interscholastic athletics at CHS, to name a few. Though only in the early planning stages, it does sound like an interesting evening and hopefully we can fine-tune the idea and pull it off successfully.

So, that's what we are thinking about on this cold winter's day. What do you think?

The Wonders of Technology...

2011-01-15T09:11:00.006-05:00

I spend a lot of time thinking about technology and learning and the impact it has had on promoting the integration of 21st century skills. I also think about how amazingly adept today's students are with all forms of technology and how they are able to use it effectively to get things done almost without any effort. Sort of the way most of us use a pencil or a paper notepad. Of course, I am growing increasingly concerned over the ways some of our students are using technology inappropriately, but that has been a topic of a past posting and, I suspect, it will resurface again and again in the near future. But this past week I began thinking of all of the ways that technology has changed the landscape for me as an administrator. I guess what triggered it for me was when I received an email late one evening from a parent regarding difficulties she was having with iParent and I responded within ten minutes to assure her that I would fix the problem the first thing next morning when I got to my office. (The amazing thing about technology is that I actually could have logged in to IPASS from my home computer immediately and fixed the problem but it was late and I was reluctant to stop reading my book for a problem that was not an emergency).

So, I guess that is one of the first things that struck me about how my job has changed due to technology. With the availability of email and the functionality and immediacy of my school issued BlackBerry, parents have access to their child's high school Principal 24/7 and I have no problem with that. Back in the not so dark ages, parents would either have to write a letter or call the school and get past the Principal's gatekeeper, the school secretary, to leave a message on a little pink slip or a voice mail. Of course, with email all of that has been eliminated and that is a good thing. It frees up my secretary to do other things and it most often results in a more immediate response and, hopefully, a successful resolution of the parent's concern. The only down side is that with such direct access there really is no filter and occasionally when someone is angry or frustrated and wants to vent (and we have all done it!), their message comes through loud and clear. And, while that can often be disconcerting, it too, is not necessarily a bad thing. For me it's sort of like yanking a band aid off a cut that is healing. It stings for a bit but getting concerns out into the open air and being able to respond to them is always helpful. I take pride in being able to respond to parents as quickly as possible regardless of the issue. Your time is as valuable as mine; your concern is important to you; and I see it as my job to respond and do what I can to address it in a timely fashion.

I believe that iParent has been an amazing tool for parents by allowing them to have access to their child's grades, attendance, discipline etc. But it has also been great for me as an administrator. By demystifying student information, especially grades, it has reduced the number of queries about student performance and, when there are questions, they are now more specific thanks to the information which parents can access online. Actually, the whole IPASS student management system has definitely changed my life as an administrator. Because it is web-based and totally integrated, I have the ability to access student or staff information anywhere and at any time. Information that used to be stored on a Rolodex or in binders is now only a click or two away.

The wonders of the world wide web and powerful search engines have provided me with access to an amazing array of educational resources to assist me in doing my job. Information which a few decades ago would have required me to spend hours in a university library researching various sources and reading microfiche is now available on my desktop in a matter of seconds. In fact, there is so much information available that I often feel overwhelmed yet I occasionally wonder what else might be out there when I only peruse the first two or three pages of a Google search when it says there are 2,478,391 other entries relative to my search query! That troubles me but I would never have the time or the patience to actually find out what I might be missing.

Of course, what would any information delivery system be with out the inevitable junk mail. Conservatively, I receive over one hundred unsolicited offers for various educational services such as assembly programs, professional development opportunities, anti-bullying programs, webinars on virtually any conceivable topic related to education, and, of course, the odd offer for discount prescription medications from Canada or elsewhere. The delete key on my laptop gets a daily workout!

I guess the bottom line is that for me technology has enhanced my opportunity to communicate with those who are important to me: parents, faculty and staff, members of our community, and even students. I can tolerate the occasional unwanted communication as long it allows me to continue to appropriately respond to those messages that truly matter. So, whatever your issue, if you feel the urge to reach out and contact me, please do so. Just understand that if I do not respond within a few minutes or even an hour, it is not because I am ignoring you, that is unless you are trying to sell me something. If that is the case, your message has already been deleted.

If you have any thoughts or comments about what I have written, send me an email!

A New Year and a New Initiative...

2011-01-08T08:37:00.014-05:00

Well, the new year is off to a great start and we have an additional focus for our efforts - bullying and cyber-bullying. A new law enacted last year requires schools to create both a policy against bullying and a plan to prevent it. Both were to be created, put in place, and filed with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education by the last day of 2010. We made the deadline with a few weeks to spare and our policy and plan are clear and direct. Bullying will not be tolerated! There is a very specific reporting process in place with the bulk of the responsibility falling on me as the building principal to receive reports, investigate complaints, and take appropriate action to stop acts of bullying should they occur in our school or in cyberspace. We are taking this new responsibility seriously. Now, it's not that we never responded to complaints of bullying before, however the new law gives us direction and leverage in addressing acts of bullying and holds us accountable for doing so. I believe it is an excellent step in helping to make our schools safer for all students.

In order to help ensure that all staff understand the new law and its requirements, we had a district-wide training session yesterday conducted by Ms. Meghan McCoy who is the Program Coordinator at the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center (MARC) at Bridgewater State University. Her presentation was dynamic and the research-based information she shared with us was truly enlightening (and a bit frightening for parents in the audience!). In addition, she provided everyone with some specific strategies to intervene should we suspect that bullying has taken place. Here are some important pieces of information I took away from the presentation:

All conflict between individuals is not bullying. What sets bullying apart is that it involves conflict that is repetitive and always involves a power imbalance, very much like a domestic violence situation.

Today the majority of bullying is done in cyberspace often on social networking sites such as Facebook or via texting or blogs.

Due to the immediacy and the amazing reach of technology, a single incident of cyber- bullying is, by its very nature repetitive, and is therefore a reportable incident of bullying.

The most important thing students who are victims of bullying can do is talk to someone...anyone, a parent, teacher, counselor, clergyman, or a friend. Talk to someone!
Parents who become aware of any situation which might be bullying should contact the school immediately. We are all in this together and we will address the problem head-on as a team.

The presentation was so good that we are working to bring Ms. McCoy back to Chatham to do a similar presentation for our student body. The message is that important and I am convinced that our students will connect with her and that she will be able to successfully deliver that message to them. We are hoping to schedule an assembly sometime in the coming month. We are also planning to hold a forum for parents on the evening of our second semester open house which has been scheduled for February 9th. There will be a brief PowerPoint presentation and lots of resources available to help inform parents and to enlist them in our effort to stop bullying. We hope for a great turnout for both the forum and for the opportunity to meet second semester teachers.

Lastly, we will be working this spring to integrate anti-bullying education in our existing health curriculum 9-12 and to incorporate positive relationship building and conflict resolution strategies into our advisory program. We know that the culture of our small school is healthy and positive and it seems that we do not have a significant bullying problem, however bullying does exist at CHS, perhaps more so than we are aware, and that is why we are taking this new initiative so seriously. I cannot think of a better way to start the new year!

Tis the Season...

2010-12-18T10:16:00.004-05:00

At the end of the day yesterday, we distributed the new HP 100e mini-laptops to members of the freshman class. The purchase of these powerful little computers was financed by a grant from the federal eRATE program and is part of a four year plan to provide computing technology to all of our students. I recall when this idea first surfaced almost five years ago during the community-wide Future Search session which began the process leading to the development of our school district's Strategic Plan. Someone pledged to work to ensure that all of our students would have a laptop computer. Well, that individual did not really follow up on that pledge nor did he have anything to do with this new project, but the idea did resonate and here we are five years later a week before Christmas providing each one of our freshmen with a new mini-computer! The real credit for this project goes to our Director of Technology Deb Morgan for developing the vision, researching the available technology, and for securing the funding. Well done!

So yesterday was pretty exciting. Since we waited until after lunch to begin the distribution, all day long the freshmen were buzzing about getting new computers. Their excitement was palpable as they were brought into our computer lab to receive their machine, check that their log in would work, and sign the official paper work. The smiles on the faces of the students was truly rewarding. However, most rewarding was the discovery I made when I went into a freshman biology class twenty minutes after they had all received their laptops. The students were sitting at their desks with their new laptops open entering data into a spreadsheet in order to eventually create a graph of their data. A simple project but a great start nonetheless. All of the teachers who have freshman classes have been preparing to integrate more technology projects into their instruction. This 1:1 laptop project is based on the belief that engaging students in solving problems and expanding their learning by using technology in the classroom and at home will not only replicate life and work in the real world of the 21st century but will also improve learning and student performance. Time and a program evaluation will certainly tell, however we have clearly entered into an exciting phase in education at CHS.

Sadly, my one regret is that we only had enough funding to supply the freshmen with laptops. Always impatient, I would have loved to have been able to purchase 210 computers but we could not afford it and we did have to start somewhere. However, that will not stop us from looking for additional funding to expand the program into the sophomore class which will then encompass half of our school. If that happens, it certainly will be cause for more celebration!

So, smiling faces and new computers with three days to go until the winter break. Regionalization is moving forward, the budget process looking positive, and the holiday season is upon us. With already so much for which we should be thankful, the new year is also looking like it will be filled with exciting progress and lots of success. Let's all make a resolution to ensure that it will be a great year!

This is most likely my last post before the holidays so let me take the opportunity to express my best wishes to all for a very happy holiday season! Look for more musings in the new year.

A New Era Begins...

2010-12-12T13:22:00.003-05:00

Well, last Monday was an historic evening resulting in a positive vote for regionalization. Over fifty years of often heated and uncivil debate ended with a very respectful exercise in direct democracy. Perhaps during the three previous efforts the time just wasn't right. However, this time voters did see the gravity of our situation and supported the effort to move forward toward regionalizing with Harwich. So the debate and the arguments are over and now the real fun begins! Over the course of the next three and a half years we will be working with one goal in mind: to create the best regional school system possible by combining the strengths of both districts to expand educational opportunities for our students. It is as simple as that.

The regionalization process begins as early as tomorrow when I will be meeting with Harwich Principal Kevin Turner and our respective superintendents to examine ways our students can begin working and learning together now, far in advance of the opening of the new high school. We will look at the performing arts, athletics, advanced classes, and perhaps student governance to find ways to bring our students together. I am sure that this will be the first of many meetings over the coming months involving administrators, teachers, students, parents and community members as the merger evolves. This is the beginning of an exciting process! I know there are many who still have doubts and fears, and that there will be lots of transition issues, however if we all continue to focus on the goal and promise to make every decision based on what is in the best interest of our students, then I am convinced that we will be successful.

Once again, in the aftermath of what can only be described as an historic vote, I would like to commend the six member Regionalization Board and Superintendents Cragin and Lanzo for the incredible effort they exerted studying and making public every conceivable aspect of regionalization and then working tirelessly to support it and bring forth a positive outcome. They put in exceedingly long hours, attended countless meetings, and endured a withering attack on their credibility by a number of vocal critics, and yet they persevered. And the students of Chatham and Harwich will be the true beneficiaries of all of their dedication and hard work. To the 592 voters who saw the ultimate benefits of regionalization and rose above the provincialism and fear to vote in the affirmative, I thank you as well. I especially appreciate the trust you have placed in us as school leaders to make the right decisions for your children and for the community. To those who were opposed to regionalization, I respectfully ask you to set aside your objections and join the process. Let's all commit to work together to create a rich, positive, and productive educational future for all of our children. What a noble endeavor for us to pursue together!

Focusing on the Positive....

2010-12-04T08:15:00.004-05:00

It has been a while since my last post. Unfortunately, a software glitch kept me from accessing my Google account and prevented me from posting anything to my blog. I admit it was a bit frustrating to not be able to communicate when I had so much I wanted to say, however in some ways it was a blessing. There were several incidents over the last month and a half that have made me angry and I suspect that if I could have accessed my blog, I might have written something I would later regret. Most troubling was the outright slander and public character assassination of a decent man and excellent coach by a small group of individuals based on fabrications and personal disagreements with his coaching philosophy and leadership style. Added to that were the disturbing tactics of some folks who are opposed to regionalization which focused on creating a climate of fear and uncertainty based on misinformation and prejudice. Repeated efforts to debase Harwich, its schools, and its students by calling into question a seeming disparity in MCAS or SAT scores and by suggesting an examination of comparable crime statistics in both towns were not only inappropriate but deeply troubling. It was surprisingly reminiscent of a previous regionalization attempt in the 1980's which failed due to heightened tensions over race and class which drove a wedge between the two towns. Sadly, that wedge has resurfaced and has impacted not only the regionalization debate but the normally collegial relationships among staff and students. As we approach the final decision, it is safe to say that the level of incivility in the debate has been very unfortunate leaving many to comment that they cannot wait for the issue to be resolved one way the other. And, soon it will be. Regardless of the resulting vote, we will need to move forward, eliminate the divisiveness, and restore civility to our school and community.

So lately, it seems as if we are drowning in negativity. I think we need to focus on some positives. While it is true that a recent survey of our student body did reflect a general opposition to regionalization, I have seen an amazing turnaround since the survey. Two weeks ago Harwich students spent a day in our school shadowing and, just this week, we sent sixteen students to spend a day at Harwich High School. It was amazing to watch students from both schools blend together in an instant, but more importantly to listen to them talk excitedly about their experiences and hear the stereotypes and fears evaporate. In the end, many of the students discovered what a lot of us already knew; the issues that set us apart from our neighbors pale in comparison to the number of things we share in common. Of course there will be transition issues, but in the end, should we elect to merge the two schools, we will discover that we really are all the same and before long people will wonder what all of the fuss was about.

On the eve of the town meeting vote I want to restate my position on the question of regionalization with Harwich. I am wholeheartedly in favor of merging our two fine schools and creating a dynamic new school system which will be a tremendous benefit to the students of both towns well into the future. On a personal note, this is my 39th year in public education. Having spent 28 years as a teacher and administrator at Harwich High School and the last 10 as the principal of our wonderful school, I see myself as being in a unique position. Almost a year ago I reached that numerical combination of one's age and years of service which allows one to retire with maximum benefits. However, the fact that I am still working should be an indication that I am not really ready to retire. Now, I readily accept the fact that I will probably not be part of the administrative team when the new school opens, but given my experience working in both school systems and my educational philosophy and leadership skills, I can think of no better way to bring my long career to a close than spending my last two or three years in education working on the transition to the new regional school. My effort will be dedicated to ensuring that not only all of the concerns of Chatham parents and staff are addressed, but more importantly that the new school and its curriculum and culture are the successful product of a true collaborative effort on the part of teachers, administrators, and students from both districts. That's my pledge; wrap up my career as a public educator bringing people together to build an exciting new school by merging the best of what Harwich and Chatham now have to offer. I am convinced that the results will truly awesome!

So for parents, community members, teachers and students, the stakes will be high this Monday evening. And I guess I have my own personal stake as well. I am hoping for a favorable outcome and, quite frankly, I cannot wait to get started on the transition!

A slice of school culture....

2010-10-16T10:27:00.003-04:00

Anyone who was in our building yesterday got a sense of what our school culture is truly like. In many ways it was a typical Friday and in other ways it was quite extraordinary. Driven by student initiative, especially those involved in the Young Women's Club, the day was dedicated to one of our faculty who is out of school this term valiantly and successfully battling breast cancer. Because she has devoted so much energy, passion and support to our students over the years, they wanted to dedicate the day to her and demonstrate their love and support for her, now when she needs it most. So they planned the day and put up posters exhorting the student body to emulate this somewhat eccentric, quirky teacher by dressing like her or by wearing pink in her honor. Students and faculty showed up wearing bandanas, crocs, hoop earrings, mismatched socks, and New York Yankee apparel. They wore home-made buttons proclaiming that Reading is Sexy and, during lunch, when one looked out over the assembled student body in the cafeteria one had to be impressed by the amazing sea of pink that was on display. The young women who engineered the whole day also encouraged students and faculty members to lend their faces and voices to a video card they were creating to send to their teacher. And capping off the day, the boys' soccer game that afternoon was dedicated to her and the team wore white soccer socks emblazoned with dozens of pink ribbons. The whole day was a tremendous and spontaneous expression of caring and support for a much-loved teacher and was a true testament to the wonderful adolescents who inhabit our building and enlighten and enrich our lives every single day.

Another less dramatic example of the maturity and responsibility demonstrated by our students can be seen in their involvement in and response to our annual Club Fair which was held during our advisory period yesterday. With only minimal guidance from adult advisers, students in the various clubs developed displays and manned tables in the cafeteria in an attempt to make all members of the student body, especially freshmen, aware of the large number of clubs and activities our school has to offer students who want to pursue a particular interest. More significantly, for the 30 or so minutes allotted to the fair, the students stayed in the cafeteria visiting the various club displays and some signed up to become members. Once again, this student-led activity was carried out with minimal supervision and, more amazingly, when the time arrived for the fair to end and the students needed to move on to their block 2 class, everyone did so without prompting from either the bell or any staff member. I stood and watched as the cafeteria emptied out in less than a minute and everyone got back to learning. That is maturity, responsibility, and most of all respect. Apparently that was the theme of the day and it left many of us who work here acknowledging, once again, what a truly special place is Chatham High School.

And in closing, since I am honored to know she reads this blog, I would like to add my voice to the many wishing my colleague a timely return to full health and her classroom full of eager learners who anxiously await her return. This school is way too quiet and not quite complete without your presence. We miss you and pray for your full recovery and speedy return.

Regionalization...Its Time Has Come.

2010-10-09T09:33:00.007-04:00

OK. I am finally there! For months I have been part of the development of the emerging regionalization plan, all the while hedging my bet, knowing that ultimately it is the right thing to do for our students. I have had a difficult time reconciling the future reality with the perceived potential loss of the wonderful small school culture we have here at Chatham High School. However, the more I rationally analyzed the issue, the more I have come to the conclusion that regionalization is the way to go. The increased educational opportunities for our students that will accrue from a merger of two very good schools are amazing and, as for the positive school culture, that most certainly can and will be developed in a new state of the art facility and nurtured by a reinvigorated, combined faculty and staff. I am convinced that regionalization will not only be beneficial but, more importantly, is absolutely essential to our educational survival and that is why I am able to comfortably state that I am totally in favor of the effort to create a new regional school district by merging with Harwich.

I have spent the past year working with my counterpart, Harwich High School Principal Kevin Turner, on the development of a regional educational plan. We spent a great deal of time examining what a merger would do for our students and determined that it would be a definite win-win situation for all of our students with new opportunities opening up by bringing the best of both schools to the new regional entity. For Harwich students, there would be opportunities like We The People, the Community Internship program, Forensics, and Marine Science; for our students, Anatomy and Physiology, Engineering, and a thriving Community Service program. For all there would be a significant expansion of the Advanced Placement program and enhanced opportunities for interscholastic sports. All of which would take place in a new state of the art facility.

I have attended the presentations by the regionalization board, looked at all of the numbers, including the proposed savings to our town, and have seen the handwriting on the wall. We need to act now because we are rapidly approaching a point where we will be in danger of losing our sustainability. I think it is clear to most who have been following the process that Harwich has a very obvious and immediate need to upgrade its facilities. No one can argue that. For Chatham, the problem is far less clear or immediate, but the problem is very real. Within a short time, possibly in only a few years, faced with a predicted decline in enrollment, continued budget woes causing an elimination of programs, a resulting diminution of school choice applicants and increased out migration of students seeking greater educational opportunities elsewhere, our school system could quickly reach that tipping point between sustainability and decline. My fear is that when that point is reached the demise of the school system could follow rapidly down a very steep and slippery slope. I just returned from an NEASC school evaluation visit to a school in the western part of the state which is perhaps 20 students larger than CHS. The principal and I had a rather grim discussion one day about the constant struggle we both face trying to keep our enrollment and educational and co-curricular programs viable in order to avoid that tipping point and the inevitable consequences that would ensue. We agreed that that one issue is what gives both of us nightmares. Clearly regionalization would end that threat and give those of us who work in this system and who are so dedicated to our students an opportunity to truly be part of the solution; to have a hand in crafting a new and exciting educational environment for our students that, ultimately, would be second to none on Cape Cod and beyond. The sad alternative would be to pass up this opportunity and then five or six years hence, be forced to be absorbed by a neighboring school district or worse, tuition our students out to another district. Both are costly, educationally unsound, and unacceptable alternatives I believe.

I think that the regionalization board deserves a great deal of praise for all of their diligence and hard work. As a veteran of two previous regionalization attempts between these two towns, I can state unequivocally that this board has done it right this time. They have been both inclusive in their approach and dogged in their pursuit of information and have come to the only reasonable conclusion possible. It is now time to do the right thing by our kids and merge our two school systems to ensure a sound educational future for all students.

I hope that citizens of both towns will look long and hard at all of the data and come to the same conclusion.

Celebrating Student Success...

2010-10-02T10:41:00.002-04:00

Principally Speaking is back! I did not intend to "take the summer off." It just happened. But now that school is back in session the motivation has returned and there is no scarcity of subjects on which I can expound. So, in the coming months I expect to have a lot to say about regionalization, bullying legislation, MCAS and national standards, school culture, reporting student progress, and a host of other topics. Be sure to check in frequently and feel free to comment on anything I write. I welcome the feedback.

I just returned from serving as the Assistant Chair of a NEASC visiting team conducting an evaluation of another school. I brought two things back with me; a really bad cold, and a new found appreciation for the benefits of being a small school. While I was at this school I witnessed many examples of how they celebrated student success and the profound impact that has on the culture of the school.

Yesterday we had the opportunity to do some celebrating of our own at CHS. Our current junior class did very well on the 2010 MCAS exam this past spring, however one set of scores stand out. We had 69% of our students score in the Advanced category on the MCAS Biology exam which puts Chatham High School in first place among 340 high schools in the state by 11 percentage points. The state average for the science test was 18%! Being one of the smallest schools in the state makes this a big deal for us so we celebrated the hard work and dedication of the students and the excellent teaching of our two science teachers, Gina Kelly and Luke Simpson, at a lunch time presentation. We also recognized three students who earned perfect scores on their MCAS tests. We were honored to have several guests join us - Representative Sarah Peake and our superintendent Dr. Mary Ann Lanzo, both of whom spoke and congratulated the students and teachers. And we had cake! Celebrations always go better with cake. Unfortunately, other than the Cape Cod Chronicle, no other media outlets seemed interested in recognizing our accomplishment, preferring to report on everything that is "wrong" with schools today which appears to be a popular theme lately. It's sad, but that will not stop us from recognizing and celebrating our successes whenever we can.

To that end, I will be looking to find a way to gather students at least once a month from now on to celebrate student success and recognize student acomplishments. Even if others do not seem interested in our good news, we certainly are and will continue to try to get it out to the public in whatever way we can.

Another Successful Graduation....

2010-06-12T09:45:00.002-04:00

The school year is rapidly winding down and last week we had another great CHS graduation… lots of scholarships and awards, great student speeches, and an amazing senior slide show, all in just under one hour and forty-five minutes!!

Once again, in the hours and days that followed, I heard many positive comments about the graduation ceremony from parents, alumni, and students which I graciously accepted, knowing full-well that the event would not have been as successful, and in fact, might not have even occurred without a true team effort. So many people were involved in making sure that the ceremony was a success.

I would like to express my appreciation for and recognize the efforts of several individuals and a few groups who played an important role in the ceremony. First, class advisors Paula McMahon and Beth Howe deserve a tremendous amount of credit and quite possibly some sort of medal for shepherding this particular class through the minefield of four years of high school and getting them to last evening relatively intact. We know it has not been easy! Thank you for all you have done for the class and for all of the preparation for last night’ ceremony. Once again, Chris Roberts led the band in Pomp and Circumstance for the graduates’ processional (the band was great!) and handled the sound and a myriad of other small but important tasks during the ceremony. Media specialist Bob Bourke did another masterful job guiding Hannah Farris in the creation of a slightly long, but absolutely fantastic and moving senior slide show and managed the video and audio aspect of the ceremony very well. Joan Aucoin, in spite of being understandably preoccupied with a graduate of her own, did another wonderful job preparing food for the reception and was aided by junior class advisors Leslie Travis and Kerri Robinson along with their able assistants Kelly Terrenzi and Donna Bresnahan in laying out a beautiful presentation for parents, students and faculty after the ceremony. (I do not ever recall seeing as many chocolate covered strawberries in one place before!) Dee Tripp spent days working on getting all of the diplomas ready and organizing all of the Scholarship America and honor awards so that their distribution went flawlessly. Of course, she was ably assisted by the ever-present and ever-energetic Helen Duggan. (What would we do without Helen? ) Speaking of Helen, I wonder how many other schools can say that their graduation ceremonies are attended by substitute teachers who show up to support the students. Thanks again to Helen, Joe and Norma (and to any others I may have missed!) for being there last night. Kathy Curt, as always, did an excellent job keeping me from being distracted during the final days leading up to the ceremony and she also took care of a number of details (as she always does) both before and after the event, most especially, ensuring that the lobby was cleared of baggage prior to graduation! Always supportive, Pat Vreeland closely monitored my mental and emotional state, as well as my blood pressure this past week and frequently provided me with a reality check which was always helpful and very much appreciated. Rick Gifford and all of the folks who served on scholarship committees deserve a lot of credit. They did a great job and, judging from the crowd and recipient reaction I observed, they chose the recipients and distributed the available funds well. Thanks as well to all of those folks in the community who donated money to the scholarship program which helps so many of our students realize the opportunity of a college education. Again, as usual, Steve and the hard-working custodial crew took care of setting up the gym which looked fantastic with all of the new silver chairs that Steve has been able to acquire over the last two years. The crew from the town Park and Recreation department did another beautiful job of sprucing up the grounds and because the weather finally cooperated, everything looked spectacular in the early evening sunshine. To our superintendent Dr. Lanzo and my administrative colleagues, thank you for being part of the ceremony and for your support. Your presence gives credence to the belief that we really are all in this together in an effort to produce young men and women ready to move on to the next stage of their lives. And finally, over the past ten years I have always been particularly moved by the fact that at every graduation, while not a requirement, the whole faculty turns out to participate in the ceremony and support our students. I truly appreciate that but, more importantly, I know that the students certainly do.

Thanks again to everyone who helped make this year's graduation a truly memorable event!

Sometimes You Have To Do The Right Thing....

2010-05-11T08:30:00.004-04:00

Recently, I discovered that a decision I had made way back in February had generated some criticism by some parents in a flurry of circular emails, of course none of which were cc’d to me. The fact that I was criticized does not bother me too much; it happens all the time and as Principal I expect that there will always be some who disagree with what I might say or do. What troubled me was their apparent reasoning for the criticism. Here’s what happened. At the end of the winter sports season the local basketball referee’s association selected our boys’ basketball team to be this year’s recipient of their annual sportsmanship award. At the time, I wondered about their choice given that there were at least three incidents during the season where one of our players demonstrated unsportsmanlike behavior toward a referee. However, I figured it was their choice and I was still proud of the team and our coach. My view changed after the tournament game against Cape Cod Academy. Our coach, who has been a colleague and a friend for close to forty years, criticized the officiating in the media which is a clear violation of MIAA sportsmanship rules. He knew it was wrong and, as Principal, I had to address his behavior with him. Ultimately, he was unhappy with the way I dealt with the violation and resigned as varsity coach. That was unfortunate, but I now felt very uncomfortable with our selection for the sportsmanship award especially since our coach’s actions amounted to an egregious unsportsmanlike affront to the officials. After discussing the matter with our Athletic Director, Scott Thomas, I decided to decline the award. My decision was not meant to punish the boys on the team, or anyone else for that matter. I felt that based on what had happened, we simply did not deserve that recognition. It was as much a message to the officials, players, parents and fans alike that we take sportsmanship seriously at Chatham High School. It was a tough decision to make. I upset some parents and players. I lost a valued coach and a friend. I am sorry for all of that, but sometimes you have to make the right decision no matter the cost.

The Great Weight Debate....

2010-03-27T10:41:00.005-04:00

Despite the title, this post is not about the fact that I could afford to lose a few pounds, but rather its about that perennial issue that seems to surface around this time each year - why doesn't Chatham High School employ a weighted grading system to award a higher grade point average for honors and advanced placement classes? What follows is an abreviated version of my thoughts on the issue.

A few years prior to my assuming the principalship of our school, my predecessor, Ann Ashworth, created a fairly representative committee made up of parents, students, teachers, and the current guidance counselor at the time, Mary Beth Sacramone. This committee spent the better part of a year and a half researching, studying, and debating such thorny issues as weighted grades and class rank. At the conclusion of their study they voted on several issues and the result of their work was presented and approved by the school committee and a new graduation policy was adopted. Most significantly, they decided that our school would not weight course grades nor would they continue to rank students and provide those statistics to colleges or anyone else for that matter. Instead, the committee created our current Rigorous Course of Study which is widely recognized by college admissions as a clear indication of the academic capabilities and motivation of our graduates who pursue and achieve this honorable distinction. They also created a Grade Distribution Chart which is generated for each student and included in the student's application packet. This chart includes the student's grade point average and illustrates within certain GPA ranges, where the student stands in relation to his or her peers.

Interestingly, the rationale for not weighting grades back in 1997 is still valid today. At the time, they felt that students at CHS who take honors or A P courses are clearly recognized on our school profile and the transcript, and the Rigorous Course of Study certainly allows high achieving students to stand out among their peers. That is still true today. Furthermore, those same students always have their talents and strengths highlighted in teacher/counselor recommendations to college admissions because the size and decidedly personal nature of our school allows and, in fact, encourages that to occur. They also addressed the oft-repeated concern that a student could "coast" through college prep classes with all A's and end up with a higher standing than a peer who had taken a more challenging academic path to graduation. Their research, and my experience over the past ten years has showed that this just doesn't happen. Moreover, no student can even be considered for the two top positions in the class without having attained the Rigorous Course of Study designation.

One of the most important findings of their research was that students who graduate from a school which does not weight grades or rank its students are not at any disadvantage when they apply to college because the first thing college admissions officers do is automatically unweight transcripts and use their own simple system to level the playing field. In fact, one might even argue that CHS students have a bit of an advantage because admissions officers recognize what the attainment of a Rigorous Course of Study diploma means for those who apply and that might give our students a competitive edge in the admissions game. Based on what they heard then and what we still hear from college admissions directors today is that there is no advantage for students in schools where grades are weighted.

So if there is no real advantage to inflating GPAs with weighted grades, why would any school want to do it when it does pose some real disadvantages. The most serious consequence is that a weighted grading system puts additional pressure on high achieving students to take as many honors and A P courses as possible. That in itself is not a bad thing, however what often happens is that students do everything to avoid courses which are not weighted because they feel that even if they get a A in a CP course it will, in effect, lower their GPA. So, what occurs is a high pressured race to achieve the highest GPA rather than pursue a well-rounded academic career over four years. Examples abound of a student interested in becoming an engineer eschewing a valuable career oriented CADD class because, as a CP class, it is unweighted. Or a high achieving student interested in a career in environmental science not taking an environmental studies class because it, too, is not weighted and that would contribute to a marginally lower GPA. I am convinced that weighting grades at CHS would have a detrimental effect on our wonderfully diverse selection of elective course offerings and add undue stress on our students who, by the time they are Juniors, are already under considerable pressure to excel.

Lastly, I had a wonderful conversation with Ms. Sacramone the other day. She is now the Director of Guidance at Wayland High School where she reports they are seriously working toward eliminating weighted grades, as are many of the other schools in that highly competitive educational environment west of Boston. Less than four years ago Lexington High School scrapped its weighted grading system for all of the reasons I have mentioned above. So, it turns out that Chatham High School was significantly ahead of the curve over a decade ago in doing what was right for our students even if it wasn't popular. I have to say it feels pretty good to have a number of very respected schools now apparently following our lead. Why, with what we know and the way the trend is moving, would we now want to reverse what we have accomplished?

Well, perhaps I will skip lunch today and take a long walk in an effort to shed a pound or two. As always, I welcome your thoughts and comments.

March Madness....

2010-03-06T10:31:00.003-05:00

For those of us who work in education, March is a cruel month. In general, most would agree that by the time March rolls around everyone is pretty sick of winter and when the month that heralds the start of spring arrives, hopes and expectations rise significantly. However, those of us who have spent enough years living on Cape Cod know all too well that expectations of spring-like weather in March are very unrealistic. So, even though the days are getting longer and we begin to feel the marginal benefits of increasing exposure to sunshine, March is still a dark month for many. This is especially felt in schools by students and staff alike. It is the only month where, save an occasional professional development day, there are no holidays or long weekends to break up the tedious wait for spring. So this is why we plan Spirit Week for March! All next week the Student Council has planned a variety of zany activities to energize the student body, encourage students to have some fun, and take everyone's mind off the agonizingly slow wait for spring. In addition to all of the normal focus on academics during the week, students will come to school in their pajamas one day, dressed as an animal on another, and culminate the week by dressing in a designated color by class on Friday. We have scheduled a rocking concert by Afterburner, an Air Force rock band from Hanscom Air Force Base on Thursday and an afternoon of competitive games on Friday to wind up the week. Hopefully, everyone will have fun and the following week we will all be back to a more serious approach to school and our usual watching and waiting for the first real signs of spring!

For most of us at Chatham High School there has been one exceptionally bright spot this particular month of March. We recently received the Commission on Public Secondary Schools' response to our NEASC Two Year report which was submitted last October. That report was a chronicle of our effort to successfully address the recommendations included in the NEASC Evaluation report which we received in the fall of 2007. In their letter, the Commission recognized the school for "the thoroughness of the report and for the exemplary number of recommendations which have been completed." Moreover, they listed a significant number of commendations which serve as a wonderful recognition of all of the hard work expended by the staff and our instructional leaders over the past two years. The letter not only validates the work we have done but the degree to which we have improved teaching, learning and the overall environment at our school. The Commission also provided us with several additional recommendations which we will need to address in our Five Year Report due in the fall of 2012 and which will guide our professional development work over the next few years.

We are so proud of our accomplishments we have posted this letter along with all of our other NEASC documents on our school web page for all to see. Please check it out at www.chatham.k12.ma.us.

And, as always, let me know what you think.

The Dark Side of Social Networking...

2010-02-27T10:49:00.006-05:00

I am not into social networking via Facebook, My Space, or Twitter, however I am not necessarily opposed to it either. I do have a LinkedIn account and have connected with lots of friends and colleagues on that professional network, but I just can't bring myself to the more social realm of Facebook or any of the other sites like it. I fully recognize the power of such sites for reconnecting and keeping in touch but I am increasingly concerned about the abuse of this excellent tool especially by young people. Unfortunately, many teens see it as their private space, which of course, it is anything but. Moreover, many see it as a vehicle for venting or criticizing others in the relative "safety" of cyberspace. Some of this behavior has led to an apparent "piling on" mentality with dozens of individuals chiming in with often hurtful or hateful comments directed at other individuals or groups. Virulent comments and personal attacks amount to harassment and in some cases when they occur persistently and over time, bullying. Most recently, this behavior contributed to the tragic suicide of a young student in South Hadley, Massachusetts. This is clearly unacceptable.

In their defense, students who engage in this disturbing behavior argue that what they post on various social networking sites is protected speech under the First Amendment, however I do not believe that the argument is valid. Over the years the courts have demonstrated that the right to free expression is, in fact, limited and that the Constitution does not protect hateful, defamatory, libelous, or disruptive speech or actions. So what is thought to be rightful expression of one's opinion is actually criminal harassment.

My biggest problem is that what most often happens outside of school in cyberspace through the use of an individual's personal computer and Internet access frequently invades the school with more direct and, unfortunately, more physical versions of what has occurred online. When that happens, it is almost always disruptive to the learning environment and the safety of individuals in the building. More specifically, it significantly impacts and interferes with the victim's right to an education and therefore violates a variety of school harassment policies. As a Principal, I take my responsibility to intervene in such cases very seriously and am determined to take appropriate steps to stop it. Beyond that, as a school community, I believe we need to take a stand condemning such behavior not only because it is wrong and illegal, but because it has such a detrimental effect on our otherwise positive school culture.

Soon the Massachusetts General Assembly will enact new legislation outlawing cyberbullying, giving schools and the police more responsibility and more authority to stop such behavior. This legislation was in the pipeline long before the tragic events in South Hadley, which now only serve to underscore the urgent need to take action to prevent any further personal suffering and tragic loss of young lives.

In the coming months, in conjunction with the Chatham Police Department, the Barnstable County Sheriff's Department, and the District Attorney's Office, we will be providing opportunities for teachers, students and parents to learn more about this growing problem and how to prevent it.

As always, I would like to know what you think.

It's All Down Hill...

2010-02-06T09:41:00.004-05:00

Last Monday we reached that annual milestone in the world of education - the half-way point in the school year. I am sure that many students and even some teachers start thinking of the inevitable countdown to that magical day in June when classes end for another year. Clearly, we have turned a corner, but there is so much more to learn and much to do in the weeks and months to come.

I truly love the first day of the second semester. Since we operate on a semester schedule, that day is almost as exciting and energy filled as the first day of school in September. Students are generally excited about starting fresh in four new classes and I believe the teachers feel the same way. For me, the transition means the beginning of another scheduling cycle. The new program of studies has been revised and is currently being printed. We will distribute the informative booklets and course selection sheets in our next advisory meeting and guide our advisees in making appropriate selections for the next school year. When all of the course request sheets have been turned in the scheduling process can begin in earnest. My spring will be filled with course sections, priorities, conflict matrices, and course overloads. It is challenging work but I love it. Despite the inevitable frustration, I know I will have a master schedule and every student will be fully scheduled by early summer.

Speaking of the new program of studies, I am pleased that we are planning to offer four new courses for our students next year. Introduction to Engineering will be our first offering as part of the district's new STEM initiative. In computer technology we plan to offer Advanced Web Design and Advanced Microsoft Office. All three of these courses were determined to be popular choices on a recent student survey we conducted on technology offerings at CHS. The last class is a course in Statistics which we hope will be a popular choice for seniors who are not opting for Calculus, yet still want four credits in mathematics. We are excited about all of these new opportunities for our students. I just hope I can get them all scheduled!

Lastly, a month or so ago I wrote in this blog about the many sacrifices that were made to bring forth a balanced budget to FY 11. There is an addendum to that posting. This week the administrative team unanimously and, very willingly, agreed to a salary freeze for next year saving the district close to twenty thousand dollars. I feel pretty good about that!

As always, I would like to know what you think.

Learning from Experience

2010-01-23T11:43:00.005-05:00

The recent Senate campaign in Massachusetts reinforced a long-held belief for me in a clear and powerful way. Last weekend, two days before the election we received more than thirty automated phone calls in my home from the two major candidates. I received "personalized" messages from President Obama, Vice President Biden, one of the candidates' daughter, and the candidates themselves. It was absolutely dizzying. The phone never stopped ringing! I never knew I was so popular! I felt "so important." However, I heard the same message over and over again and before too long, I began to wish that the Do Not Call list covered political messages. I thank the technology gods for answering machines and Comcast call screening.

As I was being beseiged by the political begging all weekend, I could not help thinking about the power I have at my disposal as a high school principal. We subscribe to ConnectEd, a sophisticated automated phone system which allows us to communicate with parents by creating one message which is then delivered to selected homes in a matter of seconds. This system was purchased primarily for making an emergency call should the need ever arise. However, we also use it to notify parents about upcoming events and no school announcements. It is fast, foolproof, convenient, and unfortunately, prone to abuse.

So, after last weekend's experience I pledge to never abuse the use of our ConnectEd power. I will only use it to remind parents of open house nights, college planning and financial aid events, and, of course, emergency situations like a lock down. I will continue to send my messages around 6:30 PM and will try to keep them all under one minute. I would love to hear from parents as to how they feel about the infrequent messages I send via ConnectEd.

As always, I am interested in hearing from you.

Budget Woes...

2009-12-19T09:50:00.004-05:00

Well the the long, painful process of developing a school budget for next year is finally winding down. A draft of the FY 11 budget was presented to the school committee last week and hopefully, at their next meeting it will be approved and we can move on. To say that this budget is austere is an understatement. Showing an actual decrease of 0.9%, it is the product of significant sacrifice on the part of many people in order to ensure that the essential programs for our students will be maintained. I commend the teaching faculty for agreeing to accept a 2% increase this year and to extend their contract another year for an additional 2%. The decision to accept five furlough days also represents an additional financial sacrifice well beyond the loss of valuable time for professional development. The other bargaining units, consisting of the administrative assistants, teaching assistants, and custodial staff, are all facing a wage freeze for the coming year and are also to be commended for their willingness to do their part. The administrative team also accepted a 2% increase for the coming year. All of this sacrifice was made in recognition of the difficult times we all face but mostly it was all about trying to preserve as much as possible of what we know makes our school system excellent. In addition to the wage and salary concessions made by all, there were further cuts throughout the district in supplies, athletics, and programs. Make no mistake, we will get by next year with this lean budget, but each and every one of the additional cuts hurts and, in some small way, detracts from our ability to sustain our level of excellence.

This has been a hard few months to arrive at this point in the budget process. We know that there is more hard work ahead next year as we all try to make do with less. So, there is little joy as we head into the holidays, but I think it is safe to say that there is a comfort in knowing that this was truly a collaborative effort to make the sacrifices that were necessary in the interest of doing what is right for our students. There is not much that is more noble than that!

If you get the chance over the next few weeks and months, thank a teacher, a secretary, a custodian, a member of the school committee, or anyone who is fortunate enough to work in the Chatham Public Schools for what they have done for all of our kids.

Once again, Happy Holidays to all!

The Best of Times, and the Worst...

2009-12-16T14:49:00.005-05:00

I generally enjoy the weeks leading up to the winter holidays. The joy of anticipation mixed with decorations, Christmas music, family gatherings, and general good will make this time of year special. It is a happy time for most people and it is hard not to feel good even though the days are getting shorter and I often start and end my work day in the dark. As I said, I really do enjoy the holiday season. But there is one aspect of it I do not enjoy. It seems that as soon as December arrives the demands on my time increase ten-fold. Committee meetings, budget meetings, winter sports events, and various other engagements at which my attendance is expected, all seem to compress the time before the winter break and that is certainly stress-inducing. It seems as if I am out several nights a week beyond my usual evening obligations. Make no mistake, most of the events I attend are thoroughly enjoyable and some are even holiday-related social events, however it often feels as if I have little time for myself or my family. Lest I sound like an administrative Grinch, I really do enjoy watching our students perform whether on the stage, on the basketball court or hockey rink, or in some other venue. I just wish the events didn't all happen so close together during a time when I would rather sit back, relax and enjoy the coming holidays.

Well, it is time to turn my attention to preparing for tonight's School Committee budget meeting. I have just enough time to review my budget, head home for a quick dinner and then get back to school for the meeting. The latter effort made all the more difficult because of the relaxing comfort of the wood stove on a cold night.

Given my apparent inability to write in my blog on a regular basis, I should take advantage of this opportunity to wish everyone who reads my blog a joyous, peaceful holiday season and a happy, prosperous New Year. Perhaps I can find some spare time to craft a resolution to be more faithful and timely in my blog posts in the new year.

Got Juice...?

2009-11-14T08:40:00.003-05:00

Last week, Harwich High School principal Kevin Turner and I attended a meeting of the newly- formed Harwich-Chatham Regionalization Committee where we discussed the relative strengths of our respective schools, the problems faced by small schools with declining enrollments and, more importantly, what a merger of the two schools would look like should that occur. I think we did a pretty good job of identifying the benefits that would result from regionalization. However, we are aware that there is a long road ahead with many obstacles to overcome. That will be the task of the new committee. For our part, we appreciate being asked for our input and have both enjoyed the discussions we have had over the past few months because it is exciting to develop a vision for a new school and dream about how we might be able to improve teaching and learning and increase opportunities for our students.

Apparently that excitement was apparent to reporter Alan Pollack who, in his article in the Chronicle described us as "juiced up." (http://www.capecodchronicle.com/chatnews/chat111209_3.htm) I am not sure I would go that far, however given the potentially dire consequences of doing nothing in the face of clear demographic data, declining enrollments, and increasing costs, the alternative does inspire some sense of optimism. That evening we spoke at length about capacity, sustainability, and viability and how regionalization, in our view, would affect those issues. It is clear that before too long we, both Harwich and Chatham, will need to take some action to ensure that we both can continue to provide quality educational opportunities for our students. That, as we said several times during our presentation, is the ultimate "bottom line." Ultimately, it will be up to the citizens of both towns to decide whether to regionalize or not. However, any action that is taken should be governed by how that decision positively impacts our children. Now that is something I can really get "juiced up" about!

Greetings and Conversations...

2009-11-07T08:45:00.003-05:00

I am very happy I that I avoided establishing this blog as some daily musing on my part. Even if it were a weekly venture, I would be deemed a dismal failure. Time and the other demands of my job always seem to get the better of me. It's not that I do not have ideas to share or things to say; I often wake up in the night and process weighty topics worthy of this space. Somehow those ideas never make it to the blog in a timely fashion. All I can do is try to be a bit more regular in posting comments and ideas or get up at 3:00 AM and write a post!

One thing I have been thinking about lately was prompted by several recent inquiries by parents. They asked why I am often seen standing out in front of the school nearly every morning (I tend to draw the line on windy, rainy mornings!). In response, I often joke that it is my way of preparing for my dream job when I retire...to be a greeter at Walmart! The real answer, however, is quite simple. I enjoy greeting the students as they arrive to begin their day, yawning from lack of sleep, grumpy at the perceived inconvenience of having to rise at such an early hour in order to learn, and most often armed with a Dunkin' Donuts' latte, hot chocolate, or an occasional iced coffee. I wish them a "good morning", compliment them on a great game played the previous day, or thank them for coming to school on time. I almost always get a "good morning" in return and, more often than not, a smile thrown in for extra measure. For those of you who are intimately familiar with adolescents, that is no small feat at 7:25 AM!!

I also enjoy waving to all of the loving, supportive parents who also rise at an inconvenient hour to brave the cold, the traffic congestion, and the aforementioned grumpy adolescent, in order to further their child's education by depositing him or her at our door. We provide free bus service but most parents prefer to drive their children to school. There is something special about that despite the traffic headache it frequently causes. I think it is one of the many things that sets Chatham apart from other schools and communities. It's all about family.

So, if parents are willing to make that sacrifice to drop their children off, I can certainly find the time to spend a few minutes outside greeting them as they arrive. Actually, except on really cold days when I lose sensation in my toes, I really do enjoy it. In many ways, it is a great way for me to start my day. Now, should the bitter cold morning ever come when a student steps out of a vehicle and hands me a small coffee, black-no sugar, that will definitely make my day!

Promethean Revealed...

2009-10-03T10:35:00.003-04:00

I sat in a math classroom the other day observing an interesting lesson. I was struck by just how much I did not understand and I began thinking of my experiences in math class more than forty years ago. I finished my freshman year with an A in Algebra I and had dreams of a career as a civil engineer. Those dreams crashed head-on into a major roadblock...sophomore Geometry. I had a teacher who was also a football coach. Every class was exactly the same...review the 40 or so problems we had done for homework, learn about a new concept, and then do more problems to finish the class and 40 more for homework. And so it went every day for three years because I had the same teacher for Algebra II and Trigonometry. No wonder I disliked math by the time I graduated and that I had not been all that successful either.

So I pondered my dismal math experience as I sat in the class and watched with amazement and envy as students in this particular class were totally engaged in a lesson reviewing a series of problems with which they had experienced some difficulty on a test the previous day. Aside from the totally different approach to instruction, the one glaring difference was that the whole lesson was planned and presented using a new interactive Promethean board. The problems were projected on the white board and students used various tools to write on the board and solve the problems. But far more importantly, students got to respond to questions and provide individual answers to the problems. Percentages of correct responses were displayed on the screen which provided both the teacher and the students with instant feedback as to how they did. Watching students that engaged and using technology so effortlessly was pretty neat but not surprising. What we know is that students today are definitely wired differently in the ways in which they use technology. (Ever watch a kid type and send a text message on a cell phone secreted in the pocket of a sweatshirt?) This new piece of technology takes advantage of that skill and facility and enhances both teaching and learning for our students.

If these interactive tools had been around decades ago, I might have been more engaged in math and would possibly be reflecting on a long career of designing roads and bridges and writing about that in my blog.

As always, please let me know what you think.

Regionalization...A Few Small Steps

2009-09-26T08:50:00.003-04:00

Last week I met with Principal Kevin Turner of Harwich High School and our respective superintendents to have an initial conversation about merging our two schools to create a new, regional school.

Let me state up front that I am skeptical about any attempt to create a regional school district between the two towns. Having spent twenty-eight years as a teacher and administrator at Harwich High School, I was present for two of the last three discussions of this controversial topic. All, of course, ended in failure. That, in fact, may happen again, but what seems to be different this time is that the demographic data suggest that over the next decade our two school districts may experience real difficulty maintaining educational viability and we may see a significant diminution in the services and opportunities we will be able to provide for our students. So with that reality as a backdrop and as committees from each town prepare to meet and discuss the feasibility of some form of regionalization, we met over lunch and had a very positive, productive conversation which focused solely on a vision of what a new regional high school would look like.

We all agreed that a new combined school of just under 600 students would provide increased opportunity for all students in academics, the performing arts, athletics, and co-curricular activities. We discussed the potential for increasing Advanced Placement courses, foreign language offerings, and upper-level science courses. But most of all, we talked about the importance of creating a totally new school that would draw upon and incorporate the strengths of both schools to create an entirely new educational venture. We even explored the possibility of developing an International Baccalaureate curriculum and becoming an IB school which would emphasize rigor, globalization, and 21st century skills.

So, at this point we are just having an interesting conversation about possibilities. I know I speak for many in Chatham when I say that we have an excellent school that does a wonderful job of providing an education for our students. Could the education we provide be enhanced by regionalization? Absolutely! But the bottom line is at what cost. How would a merger affect our positive school culture? Of all that we currently offer our students, what might get lost in the transition? These questions and many others will demand answers before the process goes too much further. What we know is that much of the best we have to offer like the Community Internship program, We The People, our strong science curriculum, the block schedule, and our integration of technology will have to be part of the bargain. And, before too long, there will need to be an opportunity for students, parents, faculty, and community members to provide their input. As we go forward, it is important that everyone keep an open mind and a focus on what is ultimately the most critical aspect of the whole discussion...what is in the best interest of our students.

As for now, we are just talking. Let me know what you think.

Something to Celebrate...

2009-09-17T06:52:00.003-04:00

Well, the 2009 MCAS results have gone public and the Cape Cod Times has done it again. They devoted a whole page to the Cape and Islands schools' results allowing for the obvious comparisons to be made be readers. Hopefully those who scan the scores and draw conclusions about the deficiencies or merits of one school over another will understand that these scores only represent one small slice of what truly defines a school. Admittedly, they are a critical slice as they determine who will ultimately receive a diploma or not.

For Chatham, our students' results were outstanding. We improved overall and had over 90% of our students in Advanced or Proficient in all three areas. Most spectacular were our Science scores where 55% of our current juniors scored in the Advanced category. As principal of a small school where only 50 students take the tests each year, I know all too well that there can be wide fluctuation from year to year as each student represents 2%. However, I have to say to all who will listen, I am very pleased with this years results, but more importantly, I am so very proud of this junior class and all of their teachers. Together we have worked hard to improve. The teachers spent hours analyzing data and modifying their curriculum and the students took the tests seriously and did their best, which is all we ever asked of them.

I am so proud of our students and their performance that I wanted to recognize them in a special way. So, yesterday at lunch in the cafeteria I congratulated them in front of the whole school. As a token of recognition, we presented each junior with a voucher good for one ticket to the October Homecoming dance. That same voucher is also going to get them a free lunch today on me as as small way of saying, "Thanks for your great effort on the MCAS tests and for making us so proud."

That brings me to my last point. I am pleased that we received some publicity in this morning's Cape Cod Times but I was disheartened to read of my alleged quote on page one about giving students a reward for their performance. The truth is, I never said that. In fact, I went out of my way to point out in my conversation with Mr. Brennan that this was not a reward but a simple celebratory recognition for all of the juniors. I know it may seem like a matter of semantics, but I am not a big fan of material rewards, believing that the most meaningful rewards are those which are intrinsic. If I felt that some material reward would boost MCAS scores I'd be springing for a free trip to Disney World not a six dollar ticket to a dance! Our students are justifiably proud of their accomplishments. The tickets and lunch are just icing on the cake. Knowing that their hard work, dedication, and effort resulted in their own personal success and in an MCAS performance that placed our school community - our students, teachers, and parents - among the top 15% of all of the schools in the Commonwealth should be the real reward. I know it is for me.

As always, I would like to know what you think.

Freshmen Parent Orientation

2009-09-12T08:28:00.004-04:00

Last Wednesday evening we held our first annual orientation for parents of freshmen. The Chatham PTO provided a delicious dinner and several staff members presented information on a variety of important topics. I gave an overview of iParent, the program which enables parents to have access to their children's grades and other student information. Guidance counselor, Rick Gifford, spoke about a variety of academic issues such as scheduling, the honors program and the importance of good attendance. School psychologist and SADD advisor, Bethany Valine, got the parents' attention by outlining the dangers that young people face today, including alcohol, drugs, texting while driving, sexual behavior, and the potentially predatory nature of the Internet. School nurse Pat Vreeland wrapped the evening up by providing a number of excellent tips on parenting teens.

The dinner was great, the meeting was reasonably well-attended, and the presentations were well-received. However, we learned some important things from the feedback we received from the evaluation sheets parents filled out. First of all, we need to do a better job of getting the word out about the evening. I accept the responsibility of not notifying parents sooner. I did send out a ConnectEd message the evening before the meeting, but had intended to send an invitation letter to parents as soon as school began on September 3rd. I neglected to do that and apologize for the oversight. Some parents said that while the information we presented was important and timely, the evening went on a bit too long. We felt that too, and next year we plan to offer a more interactive panel presentation fielding parent questions rather than speaking at parents. Lastly, we regret that we did not provide an opportunity for parents to introduce themselves and make connections with each other. This is critical especially for those school choice parents in attendance who might not know any other parents in the system. After all, we said many times that evening that parents need to communicate with each other to help keep their kids safe and to share parenting strategies and yet, we did not offer the opportunity to make those initial connections. We will do a much better job next year! Oh, we will also bring pens to the next session!!

Overall, we were all delighted with this first effort. And in conclusion, I need to emphasize that this evening's event was the result of the work of a SADD task force made up of school administrators, teachers, students, parents, and members of the police department that met several times last Spring to brainstorm ways to keep our kids safe. This is a critical job which we take very seriously and we are already planning next year's meeting as well as other things we can do as a team to accomplish our goals during the coming year.

As always, please let me know what you think.

2009-09-08T15:20:00.003-04:00

Well, Labor Day has come and gone and we are now back in school. Coming back early as we did last week made a big difference. Students and teachers were able to "hit the ground running" today after spending last week going over expectations and getting initial assignments underway. We have had an exceptionally positive school opening and that bodes well for yet another successful school year.

Though it apparently had little impact on our student body, the controversey over President Obama's speech to the nation's students today was somewhat disconcerting. I have had a difficult time understanding why there was any meaningful oppostion to his speech. I watched it with students today and thought that his message was right on target...take responsibility for your own learning, education is essential to future success, overcome challenges and avoid making excuses which get in the way of learning.... These are the same messages we try to convey to our students each and every day. Even for people who disagree with his politics or his style, he is still the President of the United States and we all owe him the respect that is due that office, especially when he says he has a positive message for our young people. I believe our students receieved the message well and, I must say that I am proud of our superintendent and my colleagues on our administrative team for making the decision to air the speech for our students. I believe we served our students well today and we will all take President Obama's message to heart and carry it forward throughout this new school year.

As always, I would be interested in what you think.

Who says blogging is easy...?

2009-07-01T14:56:00.004-04:00

Somehow, though not surprisingly, two months have slipped by since my last post. With A P exams, MCAS, Graduation and all of the usual year end activities it seemed difficult to find time to write about what was going on. Interestingly, whenever I was motivated to post something I did not have the time to do it. When I had the time, the motivation was nowhere to be found.

One might think now that the school year has come to an end, that I would have more time for other pursuits such as blogging. However, sadly that is not the case. As soon as we wrap up the last school year, we take a deep breath and a few days off and then it is back to work preparing for the new school year. Such is the cyclical nature of the education business. And the best part is looking forward to the start of school in September when everything is fresh and clean, students are reasonably eager to get back to a familiar routine and the excitement of another year begins.

So, this summer while we are working to prepare for another year, I hope to write about some of the issues with which I will be dealing such as the shifting demographics of the Lower Cape, regionalization, creating more ways to integrate aspects of engineering into our science, technology and mathematics curricula, infusing more creativity and innovation across our curriculum, and ways to incorporate 21st century skills in virtually everything we do in our school.

I am currently reading an interesting book written by Sir Ken Robinson entitled The Element, subtitled How Finding your Passion Changes Everything. It is a fascinating book about how schools tend to stifle creativity, why that is a bad thing, and what we can do about it. I am looking forward to hearing him speak at a conference in a few weeks. I will certainly react to what I hear from Dr. Robinson in this space at a later date. If you are interested you can view a captivating brief speech he gave a few years ago by visiting the TED site at: http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

Let me know what you think.

Random Thoughts While Proctoring an A P Exam...

2009-05-06T10:28:00.006-04:00

We have begun the process of administering Advanced Placement exams which is always a time-consuming and stressful process. Regardless of how well or not our students do on their A P exams, I am continually impressed by how much our students learn and how accomplished they have become by challenging themselves with these rigorous courses. I was also recently reminded of how beneficial taking A P exams can be when I read the resume and transcript of a candidate who has applied for a teaching position at our school. He took four A P courses and exams in high school and was able to receive sophomore status in college, no doubt saving himself or his family a significant amount of tuition expense. I must also say that initiative like that, not to mention impressive academic success, certainly catches one's attention on a resume!

Speaking of teaching positions, applications have been pouring in for the four teaching positions we need to fill for the coming year. Approaching the daunting process of screening and interviewing the applicants and making recommendations to the superintendent as to appointments, I am struck by the mixed feelings I have been experiencing. On the one hand while I am happy for those who are leaving us, I am saddened by their departure. Collectively they represent more than seventy years of teaching experience at CHS. So, we wish Mr. Flaherty, Mr. Slagle, and Mrs. Fichtel well in their retirement and offer best wishes to Ms. Frostholm as she heads off to law school, and we are also excited about what four new teachers will bring to our school culture. There is no doubt that all four departing teachers will be difficult to replace, but we hope to bring the best and the brightest to our school full of new enthusiasm and dedication to challenge our students and help them grow. Our hope is to have all four new staff members on board well before the end of this school year.

Lastly, a significant number parents have signed up for an iParent account and have been able to access their child's grades, attendance, and other school data. We are happy to be able to provide this access but I am wondering how useful parents are finding this new access. Are there any problems? Are there classes where grading and homework information is scarce? Unfortunately, we cannot see what parents see in iParent so any feedback you can provide would be very helpful. Also, please remember that if you are experiencing log in difficulties or any other problems using iParent all you need to do is send me an email and I will do what I can to resolve your issue.

Got Spirit?

2009-04-11T10:51:00.002-04:00

Occasionally, I hear comments about the apparent lack of school spirit at Chatham High School which has caused me to spend some time thinking about the issue. First of all, school spirit is difficult to measure but generally people believe it exists when they observe students attending sporting events and supporting their peers who are athletes. More specifically, school spirit can and should be measured by the number of students who get involved in other school activities beyond athletics. If we use these two measures and apply them to CHS we get a mixed message. Admittedly, attendance at sporting events has not been great, however participation on interscholastic teams and in various clubs and activities in the school has been very good, with some groups like the Animal Welfare club growing significantly.

I think to fully understand the state of school spirit in our school or any other, one has to expand the definition a bit. To me, school spirit is defined as students demonstrating pride in their school which can happen in a number of ways. Every day at CHS I see students wearing school athletic apparel, proudly displaying the school name or "blue devil" logo. More importantly, I believe pride in one's school is quietly displayed in the way students treat their school facility. The lack of vandalism and graffiti as well as the general cleanliness of the building at the end of the day all suggest that students care about and are proud of their school. This is clearly evident at Chatham High School.

Last month we had an amazing, enthusiastically supported spirit week celebration, culminating in one of the most competitive and spirited games' assemblies I can recall. School spirit was readily vivible throughout the week. However, I would contend that, in so many quiet ways, school spirit is alive and well in our school throughout the year. That is not to say we couldn't use a little more of the vocal school spirit to support all of our athletes.

Spring and Thoughts of Scheduling....

2009-03-31T15:36:00.004-04:00

I love spring! Not only for the hint of warmer weather it promises because, for those of us on Cape Cod, we know that to be a cruel illusion. No, I love spring for the promise of the new school year it suggests. Every spring I begin the scheduling ritual and I am always encouraged because the process, though often tedious and frustrating, is also an exciting time of renewal. Though they would be reluctant to admit it, students are also excited to be selecting their courses for next year, a process which suggests that they are inching closer to that goal of graduating from high school and moving on the the next challenging phase of their lives. For me the scheduling process is a time of hope and optimism. It is also a time of challenges and ultimate success. Building a master schedule for a small school is daunting to say the least. Most of the courses we offer at CHS are singletons which makes conflicts inevitable. We ask students to indicate their course preferences and we do our best to accommodate them. Our first priority is to make sure every student gets what he or she needs and then we try to get them the courses they want. In a sense, we suggest to students the advice in the Rolling Stones song, "You can't always get what you want, but in the end you'll find, you get what you need!"

The real fun begins after the master schedule is set and the conflicts abound. Resolving schedule conflicts is like solving a Rubiks Cube. We make a few changes here and resolve a few conflicts only to create five more conflicts somewhere else in the schedule. But, in the end, we are encouraged that all of our students will have a schedule and we will be ready to go come September. That's what keeps me going throughout the spring and why I enjoy it so much!

For those of you who sat down with your son or daughter and discussed course selection with them over the past few weeks...thank you! Most of the course requests are now in and they look very good. Students seem to be selecting courses which will challenge them and suggest that they are not just looking for an easy way out. You and they have done a wonderful job and managed to get the forms in on deadline. Now it's time for me to get to work!

Open House or Empty House?

2009-03-07T09:07:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago, just after the start of our new semester, we held our second Open House of the year so parents could meet their children's second semester teachers, hear about their course syllabi and their expectations for the semester. We also hoped that for many parents it would provide an opportunity to open up a line of communication with teachers via phone or email.

Now, we are always pleased to see parents in our school and we enjoy talking about what we teach, but more importantly, we love to talk about student learning and progress. However, it was rather disappointing to see so few parents attend our recent Open House. We instituted this second evening a few years ago at the request of a number of parents who felt it was important that they get to meet thier children's second semester teachers. We certainly agree and will continue to offer that opportunity in the future.

On the assumption that perhaps there is something wrong with the way we structure our Open House, I would like to pose two questions to parents:

First, if you did not attend our recent Open House, please let us know why. (This blog allows you to post anonymously so please let us hear from you.)

Second, what suggestions do you have to improve the Open House which might encourage more parents to attend?

I welcome and look forward to your feedback.

The Benefits of the Evaluation Process

2009-03-07T08:37:00.004-05:00

I spent the first four days of this week at another school here in our Commonwealth serving on a NEASC evaluation team. The days were long and the work was hard, and in this case, made more difficult by the snow day which closed the school on Monday, typically the day when the majority of the necessary information about the school is gathered. However, the team persevered and by Wednesday we had written the draft of a report which will provide a road map for improvement the school will be able to use in the next few years.

Over the years I have served on a dozen visiting teams and I am continually amazed at just how much one can learn about the strengths and weaknesses of a school in such a short amount of time. Our own NEASC evaluation visit was exactly two years ago this month and the report that we received commended us for so many things we are doing well and provided us with close to thirty recommendations for improvement based on the accreditation standards to which we have agreed to adhere. In October, I will have to submit a Two Year Report to the Commission on Public Secondary Schools. Thanks to the work our faculty has accomplished since the visit, I will be able to report, in detail, that over half of the visiting committee's recommendations have been implemented. Look for that report to be posted on our web page when it is completed this fall.

Two years ago our NEASC report confirmed for us what we already knew; Chatham High School is a very good school! The two year report will suggest that we are getting even better!

2009-02-28T08:35:00.002-05:00

Welcome to my blog! After many years of proselytizing about technology and the critical importance of 21st century skills, I figured it was about time I took my own advice and began using new technology to communicate. (Actually, blogging isn't that new...if I were really into new technology, I guess I should be "twittering"!) I don't think I am quite ready to take the plunge and create a Facebook page at this point, but this is a good first step.

My essential goal in initiating this blog is is to open up a new conduit for information and ideas to flow between me as the leader of our school and the parents, students, and community members I serve. At times I will post a question in search of feedback relating to school issues and policy, or solutions to things that just perplex me. I will also post my opinion on timely issues relating to the ever-changing nature of education or my reaction to something I have read, once again in hoping for feedback or just to generate a stimulating discussion.

So, parents, students, members of the community, if you are stimulated by something that appears on the blog, please join in the discussion. In the words of one of my not-so-favorite cable news commentators, "Keep it pithy", but by all means, let me know what you are thinking.